Trigger warning: There is child murder and child death in this chapter. There is also the use of slurs, specifically ones used against gay people and disabled people, even though one is censored it's still pretty obvious what word was used. Please proceed wth caution.

He caught the ball that almost hit him in the face, "easy Aniyah, keep the ball on the ground." Miracle dropped the dodge ball and softly kicked it towards her.

"I sorry" she catches it with her foot and kicks it again this time softer. They were still shaken up about Sunday, it was Wednesday and most of the adults were at work. The two, being bored, decided to play some kickball together. Everything did seem fine for a while, quiet and safe, giving Miracle a chance to think.

Why did I tell Kyle I didn't like girls? It isn't true! I definitely had a crush on-he paused and stood up straight. He searched through his short eight years of memory to see if there was anything. Kindergarten was a no, first grade definitely a no, second? Don't even bother with that one. He didn't have any recollection of a crush on a girl or even a woman but he really liked those teen boy characters in cartoons he watched. But that was just admiration, right? He wanted to be them not be with them, but then why did they make his heart race when they were on screen.

The ball hitting him square in the face threw him out of his thoughts and he shook his head. "Uh oh, Miracle are you okay?" Aniyah ran up and grabbed the ball, Miracle nodded and rubbed his nose. He looked at the little girl and softly smile, he nodded at her question and grabbed the ball. He bounced it a couple of times before throwing it against her house and it flying back into his hand, the echo made a couple of birds fly off. "Woah, again! Again!" He grinned and threw it again, another echo.

Aniyah's head pipes up as she hears something in the distance, motors, but not from any of the adult's cars. They were small and barely noticeable. "Miracle, bad. The bad boy is back" she struggled to choke out as Miracle turned around. It was true, Ben and Kyle were already back. Surprised their stupid heads remembered how to get here he was honestly amazed at their memory. Kyle stopped in front of Miracle and smiled what does he want.

"I just wanted to say sorry about what happened Sunday, y'know we really got off the wrong foot. I'd like to buy you some ice cream." It felt too good to be true. Miracle stood there silent, contemplating a good enough response to make him leave. To leave forever Miracle, make him leave forever he looked over at the trees towards the voice, the woman's voice vanished as fast as it came into his head. Aniyah's scream ripped him out of his fog, he quickly turned around launching the ball hitting Ben in the gut which caused him to fly off his motor scooter and hit the gravel of the driveway. Ben started to cry holding his stomach, he even coughed up some candy he was eating. Kyle seeing his friend on the ground acted quickly "you faggot!" There was a splat and Miracle felt the wet stinging against his back and arm. He touched the liquid on his back and his fingers came back green a paint balloon the stinging was caused by sand mixed into the thick paint.

Miracle turned around slowly as more balloons were thrown at him, giving Ben time to stand and Aniyah time to run to the porch. The burning against his skin felt like hot coals, so many balloons coming left and right, taunting words thrown at him as well. It was impossible to move, everything was painful. To a normal person, this probably wouldn't hurt but to him, it was skin scraping torture. "Oh look, he's now as colorful as the rainbow!" Kyle shouted as Miracle sat there with his hands over his ears whimpering. "Look at his" not to mention Kyle has a lovely vocabulary of slurs "-ded ass! Sitting there like a baby!" Miracle didn't care for their words because he knew Aniyah was safe on the porch. Even when they kicked his flank and abdomen as they laughed.

Another motor roared through the air making the boys stop their actions. Leraine jumps the sidewalk with her car and the two run out of her path as she stops right by Miracle. Getting out of her vehicle she pulled out her Winchester .45 revolver and shot two times in the air "now you two lil' klan kids better gt ya asses out of here before I make ya. Ya in the countryside they won't find ya body fast enough, now gt!" The two fumbled and grabbed their motor scooters are pumped their legs as fast as they could to get out of there. Once they were out of sight in the thick trees she turned back to Miracle and helped him up "c'mon let's get this paint off ya."

"T-thank you Aniyah's aunt. Also" he sniffled and wiped the paint around his face "we aren't in the country. More of a forest" Leraine looked at him puzzled. That is what he was concerned about, there were mostly no tree patches but it was still country! None the less she told Aniyah to open the door and she helps him into the bathtub. "Call my mom please, everything burns" he softly rubbed the paint off and started crying again. Leraine nodded handing him the showerhead and parted ways with him. In the living room, she picked up her phone and started to dial. This is when Aniyah tugged at her aunt's work pants to tell her a new word she learned.

"Fag" Aniyah sounded out "faggot" she completed and nodded. "They were calling him a faggot." Leraine softly gasped, never has she ever heard Aniyah say that word or be exposed to it. Judging by her face Aniyah backed away "bad word? I said a bad word?"

"Yes sweetie, never say it again it hurts people. It is used against those who love differently. And what did we teach you in church?"

"God loves all his children, no matter what. So I love them too. Like Miracle" she smiled up at her.

"Hey Leraine, did Miracle break anything?" Mireya's voice echoed through the speaker. Leraine took a deep breath "hey Leraine? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I am here, m'kay. That Kyle boy brought a friend ova and pelted Miracle with paint" she gasped at her lack of air "and ya know what I did I put two warnin shots in the air make 'em boys run. Aniyah here tellin me they called Miracle a faggot, Ima need ya here now. Bring spare clothes cuz he's showering, those two white devils mixed some sand in the paint and broke some of his skin." She paced as she told the story trying to keep her anger under control, "oo those two need a good whoopin' y'know I ain't the one to put my hands on a child but those two-uugh" she groaned.

"Thanks, Leraine, I'll be there in five. Keep Miracle safe" Mireya hung up with a heavy heart. She knew it would escalate but she never knew to what extent "are kids just bored nowadays." She grabbed a change of Miracle's clothes and headed out.

There was a knock on the door, the two women didn't exchange any words. The bathroom door creaked open and Mireya slipped inside "hey, it's okay it's momma. I brought you clothes." She peeked behind the shower curtain and opened it to reveal a soggy curled-up Miracle. "Ay mi hijo, what did they do to you?" She stepped into the tub with him shaking and crying. She grabbed the showerhead and shampoo from the shower cubby and started to wash the paint out of his, ruining his coils to scrub. "Ay why is this paint so scratchy, it smells awful, is this car paint?" She scrubbed harder.

"With sand mixed in." Miracle called out through shut eyes.

"I should get them arrested, this is too much" she huffed, she knew it would be no use as she had tried before and they brushed it off. "That's it, you're going to take self-defense classes." Before he could object she interjected "look I know what I said about violence and avoiding it at all costs but look at what they did to you. Who knows what they could do next?" He nodded as she rinsed as much paint out as she could. "Early tomorrow morning I'm sending you to your godmothers, I'll look for a good school to help teach you. Sounds good?" He reluctantly nodded what about Aniyah?

Once he was dressed in his new clothing Miracle stayed in the bathroom. "Honey, what's wrong?" Miracle took a deep breath and let it out.

"Did Leraine tell you what they called me? She must've. S'wanna talk to ya about it" he grabbed his mothers hand but it was a very weak grip. He was scared. "I've been thinking the last few days that, I never had a crush on a girl y'know, just I just" he was silenced by a finger to his lips. Mireya looked beyond apoplectic and he shook where he stood.

"Mi hijo, I spent nine months with you in my womb, 72 hours of long labor just to push you out of my vagina, and I raised you mostly on my own. I know, I knew for a while y te amo no matter what." She whispered in the most loving voice she could muster. "I'm just upset this is how you found out rather than you falling in love with a good boy and he shows you the beauty the world has to offer." She held him securely to her chest and he melted in her warmth, the warmth of a mother doing her best.

"I'll protect you. Let's go home hijo."

Miracle put the last few things into his bag and zipped it closed. His mother had an emergency meeting so she couldn't take him in the morning so he had to wait.

Around 11:00am Mireya was coming home so Miracle decided now would be a good time to tell Aniyah goodbye. He dragged his feet along the dirt road slowly making his way to Aniyah's house. She loved her schedule, by now she should be blowing bubbles or drawing on the porch with chalk.

Once he saw the house his heart sunk, the door was wide open and her shoe was by it. The motor scooter was thrown haphazardly at the bottom steps of the porch. A line of chalk leading towards the forest was his only clue. She was dragged there, the motor was still hot so she couldn't be that far away.

Miracle sprung into action grab the pipe, that one right beside the fence he looked at the two-inch diameter pipe and grabbed it. He started running right into the woods following the woman's voice. Ignoring the scratches from branches and the squeaks from animals he pressed forward. What's more important is that Aniyah was safe, who knows what that freak will do to her now that he has her alone. Did no one hear her screams? Was everyone at work? He thought to himself finally, no other voice in his head.

It was loud, the boom, it sounded like a shot from a gun. The worst filled his mind "mom was right" he sprinted towards the pops and the blasts.

Hopping the pine bushes he finally saw them. His body rushed with relief as he saw Kyle didn't have a gun but he had a lighter in one hand and a cherry bomb in the other. Lighting it he threw it at Aniyah who was tied to the tree and laughed as he watched her dance away from the explosion. She was sobbing and calling out for help.

Miracle felt numb in his extremities, rage filled his heart kill the freak my son he heard the woman's voice say. He rushed up behind Kyle and swung towards his ankle, a satisfying crunch echoed through the air. Kyle looked over at his bone sticking out of his ankle, he let out a silent scream. "Oh, you aren't laughing now? Thought it was funny" Kyle gasped as he turned his face towards Miracle.

"Wanna see something really funny?" Light it! Light it in his-he grabbed a firecracker from Kyle's jacket pocket ignoring the pathetic clawing against his wrist from Kyle himself. "C'mon I wanna hear another joke. Say something, look at you crying like a baby" taking his thumb and forcing Kyle's mouth open then put the firecracker into it. He grabbed the lighter and lit it. He's gonna spit it out the voice said, Miracle quickly used the pipe to force his jaw shut watching the fuse get shorter and shorter. The boy screamed as the fuse finally finished, it popped loudly in his mouth and smoke left his nose. Miracle let go as Kyle's mouth hung open blood leaking out. Teeth blasted into dust and tongue burnt to a crisp.

Miracle lifted the pipe over his head and yanked it down with such force the ground split beside Kyle's head "gah I missed. Hold still" he swung again and he made contact with the side of Kyle's skull. It was a crunchy hit, brain matter made it sound mushy. Kyle was left from screaming his head off to a soft whimpering mess. Blood started pooling onto the soil around. Another hit and the whimpering stopped. His eyes popped out from that hit, his brains like applesauce leaked out from the top of his head. Miracle grabbed the corpse's broken ankle and started to drag, the sound of rushing water getting louder as he got closer to the river. With a good hoist, Kyle splashed into the water.

The clear water filled with red as his body went with the flow of the water. Quick grab the scooter, throw it in the voice instructed. He stalked back to the opening of the road and grabbed the scooter, easily putting it over his shoulder. Once back at the water he threw it in as well, it hit rocks as it flowed down the river breaking down. He took a deep breath and the feeling came back to his arms and legs.

Panic filled him as he ran to Aniyah and untied her "p-please Aniyah please don't tell anyone. I didn't mean to!" The little girl nodded and wiped her tears. She reached up for him and he picked her up running out of the forest, thunder crackled as he rushed to her porch. Once she set her down it started to rain heavily.

They stayed on the porch for half an hour until Mireya came to the driveway with her truck. "Miracle! This is where you ran off too. Come on honey, what's wrong?" She stepped onto the porch.

"The thunder is scary, I just came here to say goodbye to Aniyah." He explained, shaken up by what he just did. Aniyah nodded also scared and that helped give the illusion. She nodded and led Aniyah inside, putting on her favorite TV show. Once back out Miracle stepped into the truck while Mireya used her step to get in.

They started their two-hour journey to New York, unknowing of Miracle's actions and their consequences.

In an unmarked grave surrounded by other graves marked by numbers, the ground seems to rumble. The bloodshed from a Voorhees, the cycle continues, and to awaken the man who died with unfulfilled affairs. "Come Jason, come to mommy." The ground started to rise into a hill before it finally broke with a rotted hand "you have someone to meet."

In an unmarked grave surrounded by other graves marked by numbers, the ground seems to rumble. The bloodshed from a Voorhees, the cycle continues, and to awaken the man who died with unfulfilled affairs. "Come Jason, come to mommy." The ground started to rise into a hill before it finally broke with a rotted hand "you have someone to meet."